Run Lauren, Run!

Friday, April 30 was Child of God's Race for Education.  The kids have one hour to run as many 1/4 mile loops as they can.  They asked for donations from family and friends to help support them.  Shawn and I were there to help cheer on our little runner!

They started off by stretching - don't want to pull anything!

And they're off!

Here she comes around the first time!

At the end with Charlotte - Lauren ran 11 laps - 2.75 miles!

We are so proud of you Lauren!

That night Shawn was going to be gone, so I wanted to plan something fun for the kids.  I made homemade fish sticks (yes, homemade!) and for dessert we made a banana pudding.  They helped make the dessert which they loved!  Now Lauren's only had vanilla wafers and Cool Whip - imagine that, but Aidan ate the pudding and bananas too.

Wow buddy, that's a big bite!

Good stuff!

After our dinner and dessert we watched Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squekquel.  They've seen the commercials for it and really wanted to watch it, but I didn't know if they'd sit for the whole movie.  So they both got their sleeping bags and cuddled up in my bed and what do you know, they watched the whole thing!  They giggled so hard at some of the parts - it was so cute!  We had a fun night!

Thanks for reading! 

Love, 

Jennifer

Mom's Night

Lauren's school had mom's spa night on Thursday, April 29.  Now this isn't like any other spa...the kids actually pamper you.  It was a really sweet event and Lauren was so looking forward to it - we had a great night.  

We started the night out by going to her classroom to make necklaces for me.  We used colored cut up straws and beads to make the necklace - it was a cute project.  

After that we went to the cafeteria for a treat - they had strawberry shortcake which was really good!

Next we headed to a classroom so the kids could do their mommy's nails!  I got an arm massage and then my nails painted.  Lauren decided on alternating pink and purple on my left hand and then all purple for my right hand - she definitely has style!

The last stop of the night was to the hair salon classroom where Lauren combed my hair and gave me a ponytail and two hair clips - I was looking quite gorgeous!  I also got many (and I mean many) sprays of Juniper Breeze body splash!  

She had so much fun and was so happy to do all those special things for me.  So sweet - I had a great time!

Love,

Jennifer

(the pampered mommy)

Lauren's Soccer Update

April 24 - 5 goals
May 1 - 8 goals

And no, I am not kidding!  That kid is getting good!

Thursday, April 29th was a big day for the Nevins household - is everyone sitting down?  Aidan pooped on the potty!!!!  He told me that morning that he had to poop...and he did!  So proud of the little bugger!  For those that don't know he's been potty trained since right after he turned two - so crazy that he was so little, but would pee pee on the potty!  The only thing is that he would always poop in his "underwears" as he calls them.  Well, knock on wood, we've had a whole week of pooping on the potty!  Two and a half and completely potty trained - what a smart boy!

 Here he is with his Starburst for doing such a great job!  

He was so proud - bless his heart!

Thanks for reading!

Jennifer
(aka - the proud mommy!)

Getting Organized

A couple of Friday's ago I had a personal organizer come over and help me with the laundry room.  I know what you're thinking - why in the world would Jennifer ever need a personal organizer, right? :)  But I must say, I got an amazing deal on the web site Groupon - 4 hours with a personal organizer for $50.  She came in and walked all around the house and gave me tips and suggestions and then we actually did some hands on work too.  It's really motivated me to form some systems to keep everything organized and in it's proper home!  Below are some before and afters - you can click on the pictures to see them larger.

Before

After

(I think I need to make a new laundry hamper!)

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

(I still want to do something different with those blue bins, I just don't know what yet)

Everything is nice and labeled and in it's appropriate place.  And the best thing is that we've actually kept it up- yeah!

Cardinals and Lady Bugs!

So every year I've taken a picture of Shawn with the kids for Cardinals opening day - you know a big deal to Shawn!  The kids were all excited because they know it's a big deal for daddy!  For me, it's just 80+ nights of baseball on the TV - oy vay!  This year's opening day was on Monday, April 12 and the Cards won 5-0.

Don't they look adorable?

That Friday night Shawn and I also went to the Cards game (sorry no pictures) and sat in the Champions Club.  I got him tickets for his birthday and it was a nice night out without the kiddos.  The kids had an awesome time because Aunt Alisa came over to watch them.  She even went to day care with me to pick them up.  Needless to say they weren't nearly as excited to see mommy as they were to see Aunt "Eesa" (as Aidan calls her)!

The next morning, April 17, we all went to Lauren's soccer game.  Team Lady Bugs (as they are now called) is getting quite good.  Can you believe that Lauren had 4 goals???  My little super star soccer player!

Lauren and Scarlet

But most of the entertainment that afternoon came from Mr. Aidan. 

Who would have known that a Target dollar bin butterfly net would create so much entertainment???

Found a bug!

Trying to catch the bug!

 No luck - but I'm sure I can find mischief somewhere else!

Bug catching is hard work - time for a snack and a little lounging in the sun

Now let's see what Papa is up to

Alright - enough of this soccer business!

 I'm bored - is it time to go???? 

(and yes, those are his shoes that he threw off during his tantrum!)

So that night Shawn and I had a wedding to go to (again, no pictures - sorry, who wants to see us???) - yes, can you believe it...two nights...in a row...out without kids...crazy!  We are lucky enough to have a babysitter we like from Aidan's day care, Ms. Kim, so the kids again had a great night.

The next day was Maddy' Baptism - did I mention that this weekend was just a tad jam-packed???? 

After the Baptism we went back to Joe and Kelly's for lunch.  The kids had so much fun playing in their backyard (they have a great backyard!).  We had yummy bar-be-que and spent good time with the family.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time!

T

Hey, need a ride?
The boys had a great time playing together! 

Lauren in her cute spring outfit.

She had fun playing soccer with Eric and Ella.

Hope you enjoyed the update!

Love,

Jen

Easter 2010

Easter morning was fun for all - the Easter bunny came and hid lots of eggs inside and brought baskets filled with goodies!

 Aidan actually tried a hard boiled egg - he even ate a few bites...and Lauren wouldn't even look at them let alone eat one!

After church we went to Mama Judy and Papa Renny's for brunch.  My sister and her boyfriend were there as well.  It was a very nice morning - the weather was absolutely beautiful.  They loved their rolling backpacks from Aunt Alisa and the Easter Bunny hid eggs in the backyard.

Happy Easter - look what I found!

Next we were off to Papa Ken and Mama Jane's for Papa's annual Golden Egg Hunt.  Each egg has money in it - some with change, dollars, $20, $50 and even $100!  So needless to say, the adults get more competitive than the kids!  This year the older cousins were paired up with the younger cousins.  Lauren and Cody were a team, Aidan and Brandi a team and Ashley and Hayden were a team.  The rules were that the older cousins couldn't actually touch the eggs, but could show the younger ones where the eggs were hidden.  Lauren brought along her "fast shoes" (tennis shoes), so that she could run fast!

Lauren's "fast shoes"

Aidan and Brandi found one!

After hunting for about 20 minutes, no one had found the $100 egg.  So Papa decided the adults could go down to hunt for the eggs.  You should have seen all of us - I'm surprised we didn't ruin Jane's garden!  In the end Joe found the golden egg and Hayden and Ashley ended up the big winners!  It was a lot of fun for everyone!

Counting up their findings!